Produce Fruit in Keeping with Repentance (Outro)

So my conversation with Bryan and Joel brought this up again, bringing back to my attention that I've yet to finish this conversation with You. Where I left off the conversation is where I still am, trying to figure out what I can do to prepare the way of the Lord, to promote equality, and to help others.

Bryan brought up such an interesting point last night, and it's implications haunt me. There is need that is rampant all over our world, mountains and valleys all over the place. As a family, or even as Exodus Community, we've been stretched to our financial limits in trying to make the way smooth. We're at a point that for us to keep giving we will need more resources, or to be blunt, we will need more money.

And I hate this position. I don't care what I'm begging for money about, to get things for myself or to get things for others, I hate the position of coming to You saying, "Lord, where can we find the money for this?" What I'm afraid of is that question will become our only question, our only concern. So my thought is that there must be something more than money to make the road smooth.

And what if that thing is more difficult than money? Again, Bryan is a genius Lord (I thank You for putting he, and Joel and Andy in my close circle, I learn more from them than I could have ever imagined). He looked at the narrative of Scripture and realized that You don't always come and take away the problems that people have. You don't always meet the immediate need by solving it once and for all. But You do promise that You will be with us and that should be enough. Strangely it often is enough. What if that is our job too? As we follow You, perhaps we are to be with people right through their troubles, rather than always seeking to take them away. Sure, we can do the smaller, practical things when we have the resources, but maybe it's more important to be there.

I know that is true in my heart. I don't know why I type "maybe." It's a scary thought, that is why. I know that my wife wouldn't necessarily be all that excited about spending more time with different people. I know that with Gideon's arrival coming soon we don't have a whole lot of time for being more intentionally with others. But how serious are we about the gospel?

Christ, I lay myself at Your feet this morning. Break me open for people today. Let me just be that simple.

I love You Lord. The real You. The more I see of You, the more glorious Your ways become. Continue to speak to me, reveal Your truth close to me.